Around the World, Eco-Camping is Booming, and It’s Very Obvious Why

Millions are once more enjoying and appreciating the great outdoors. Cornwall has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this and has become the country’s unofficial Eco-Camping capital. New research clearly shows how popular Eco-Camping is today, and it’s not only Cornwall benefitting from this newly found interest.

There’s been hardly any positives born from the pandemic. Of these few positives, probably the most obvious plus side to reveal itself has been people’s reconnection with the natural world. During the past twelve months, people (when allowed) have been using the great outdoors as their destination of choice, and this has produced a boom in interest in Eco-Camping.

During the past five years, Eco-Camping has become extremely popular. This has been shown in the number of searches for it on the internet. New research from Camptoo has revealed a whopping 436% increase in search traffic since 2017.

There are now 161 specialist eco-friendly campsites in the UK, and this number is expected to grow considerably over the next few years. Cornwall has been probably the biggest beneficiary of this new way of vacationing, and this can be put down to the vast number of green sites in its area.

As well as being the unofficial eco-camping capital of the UK, it is also the hotspot for Camptoo rentals, with 139 bookings in the last 30 days. This is a huge increase of 1290% when compared to the same period last year.

And the trend does not stop with the UK, as other major European countries Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal are all seeing a similar rise for the search term ‘Eco-Camping.’

As well as this, several popular eco camping-related products have seen a sharp upward trend in searches, such as bamboo toilet roll, which has increased by a massive 2833% in search volume since 2017 in the UK.

Research also found bamboo cutlery (306%), Eco sleeping bag (61%) and eco-friendly wood-burning camping stoves (519%) all dramatically increased in searches in the last five years, while portable solar chargers have been consistently popular online, following the increasing demand for camping and Vanlife type experiences.

The most popular eco-friendly camping products are bamboo cutlery and Ecodesign wood-burning stoves – which produce 80% fewer harmful emissions than standard stoves – with roughly around 1,300 monthly searches for each product over the past 12 months – proving Brits are becoming increasingly aware of ways in which they do their bit to protect the environment.

Camptoo’s Head of Wanderlust Ed Bassett commented on the growing trend: “It’s wonderful to see so many people take an interest in the environment and looking for ways in which they can improve how they live and travel and the camping equipment they take with them.

“We are keen to promote any ways in which people can travel while staying eco-friendly and would encourage budding campers to take some of these products and our research in general into consideration when planning their adventures.

“With a vast array of products from bamboo cutlery, composting toilets, recycled and refurbished campervans and growth in the use of portable solar chargers all now readily available at reasonable prices, making a few switches here and there can have a great effect on reducing your camping carbon footprint.

“The very act of renting a camper or tent is in itself helping the environment as are many businesses in the sharing economy.

“Rather than buy new, the sharing economy is changing the way people use and share their assets which are good for the owners and the environment. Camping in the UK is also saving on travel carbon footprint from travelling abroad, and we look forward to more electric campers hitting the market.

“Not only that, but the increasingly growing number of ‘green’ campsites popping up across the UK and Europe makes it very easy to find a spot and make your next camping trip an environmentally friendly one.”

A number of recent global surveys have shown that nature and biodiversity are at the forefront of many people’s minds when taking a vacation. No longer is static luxury pampering a requirement; nowadays, people want to experience nature and culture and this has been proven by the increased interest in Eco-Camping. You can read how travellers appetites have changed over recent years in some recently published data here.